


12 Days of Malec

by lethargical



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: 12 Days of Christmas, 1880s, 2000s, 25 Days of Fic-mas, Alec Lightwood Wears Makeup, Alec Lightwood singing, Alicante (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Archery, Central Park, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Dinner, Christmas Fluff, Dancing, Drinking Games, F/M, Ficmas, First Dates, Gingerbread house competition, Gloves, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Holidays, Ice Skating, Lost a Bet, M/M, Matchmaker Isabelle Lightwood, Memories, Mischief, Mistletoe, Mountains, Nail Polish, Past Relationship(s), Power Outage, Secret Santa, Sickfic, Snowball Fight, Strangers, Ugly Holiday Sweaters, Walks In The Park, Winter, bet, christmas cracker, festive, magnus as santa, stuck together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-04 04:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 14,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12763062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lethargical/pseuds/lethargical
Summary: A Fic every day until Christmas Day! Each description will hold the prompt!I hope you enjoy!





	1. Cobalt

**Author's Note:**

> Today's Prompt: Nail Polish

It was a cold December morning and Alec had woken up to an empty bed in his cold loft. HIs boyfriend, Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, often had early morning appointments with clients and thus, Alec was left alone for however long it would take for him to finish his errands. They had been living together for a couple of months and he was used to it at this point but it still made him sad when he woke up without Magnus’ warmth by his side. Especially in the winter. Instead of his boyfriend beside him, a note scrawled in cursive was left on his bedside table telling him what time he’d be home.

 

_ Darling Alexander, _

 

_ I’m tending to some housekeeping at the DuMort. _

_ I shan’t be home before 11 am. _

 

_ Magnus x _

 

As a shadowhunter, Alec was used to years of waking up early at the institute which conflicted with Magnus’ tendency for sleeping in but on days like these, Alec, although he missed Magnus, was able to have time for himself. It was quarter past six in the morning when Alec pulled himself out of bed; he was currently taking a few days off after a particularly gruesome run-in with a demon and had nothing to do. 

 

He got dressed in a pair of sweatpants, a long-sleeved black shirt, and running shoes and went on a morning run through the upper east side. By the time he was done, it was quarter to eight and still had three hours to fill. He made his way back to their loft and wandered back into the bedroom to have a shower and change into clean clothes.

 

Alec emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, with a towel around his waist and his another towel in his hands, drying his dripping wet hair. He sat on the edge of his and Magnus’ bed, staring at the large expanse of the closet that took up an entire wall. Alec’s section of the wardrobe was minuscule compared to the vast collection of clothing his boyfriend possessed. He spotted the shirts Magnus had worn on their first few dates and so many patterns he became dizzy. He selected one of his boyfriend’s dark blue dress shirts and slipped his arms in, doing up the cold buttons and pulled on his favourite pair of jeans. Magnus’ clothes always seemed to comfort Alec when he was away and although Magnus never saw him wearing his shirts, Alec was almost certain that he knew that he’d worn them.

 

He settled on the sofa closest to the large windows that looked out over the grand city and gazed out at the towering buildings and the fog surrounding them. As he observed the city, he was distracted by a shimmer in the corner of his eye. He looked at the side table to see that Magnus had left out a small collection of his treasure trove of nail polish bottles. It wasn’t ‘small’, there were at least 15 bottles but Alec had seen his whole collection and it was minuscule next to it. There were shades of three colours: purples, blues, and blacks. A few of them glistened with glitter in the morning sunlight; those were the ones that had caught his eye. Alec was never the one for glamour. He was plain, ordinary and matte- Magnus was his opposite. Shiny, bright and different. 

 

He picked up a slim blue bottle that has flecks of silver embedded in the paint. Alec often wondered if he’d pull off wearing nail polish but always shied away because his parents weren’t exactly accepting of that kind of thing. But today was different for him. He wasn’t urgently needed at the Institute for awhile and his boyfriend wasn’t there to judge his skills with self-painting his own nails- not that Magnus judged him but it was just that Alec didn’t want him to see his attempt at something his boyfriend was an expert at.

 

He twisted the top off and a waft of the toxic paint invaded his nostrils. He had smelled it before when Magnus occasionally did his nails in the mornings but never this close. Alec stood and walked to Magnus’ makeup table in their bedroom, sitting in front of the large rectangular mirror he had seen his lover remove his makeup only the night before. He took the delicate brush out of the bottle and the paint shimmered, now properly exposed to the light. He brushed off the excess, having seen Magnus paint his nails countless times before, and swiped the bristles across his right thumbnail. When he saw he hadn’t done a terrible job, he continued with the rest of his right hand. Some had gone over onto his finger but it wasn’t too bad and when he eventually finished his left hand, he was pleased. It was new, and new things scared him but the blue was only subtly sparkly and he would be able to take it off before he went back to the institute. 

 

After an hour, Alec had forgotten he was wearing nail polish at all. He was sat on Magnus’ velvet couch reading a book on antidotes that Magnus had given him for his birthday- he had skimmed it before but not read it in depth and was determined to get through it before the year ended. He was in the middle of a particularly interesting chapter about botanical healing when he heard the click of the front door. 

 

Magnus strode in with his studded burgundy jacket and a black scarf tightly wrapped around his neck. His spiked hair held an assortment of tiny snowflakes that had accumulated on his way home. Alec was surprised to see him walking in because Magnus was never really one to travel like a mundane. He preferred portalling because it was efficient and didn’t get him held up in traffic. Traffic could lose him some valuable clients. He unwrapped the scarf and hung it up in his coat closet before also shrugging off the burgundy coat and returning it to its home. Magnus sauntered over to his boyfriend who had now set his book down on the coffee table in front of him.

 

“Hello, darling,” Magnus said with a smile that took up half of his face. 

 

“Hi, Magnus.” Alec timidly replied, now remembering that he had painted his nails earlier that morning. He clenched his hands into fists to hide his nails within his palms.

 

But the move had caught Magnus’ attention and he rested his hands over Alec’s. 

“Is everything alright, Alexander?” Magnus asked, concerned for his boyfriend after seeing his sudden movement. Alec found it hard to explain himself and he stuttered, not being able to formulate the words to make a full sentence, nodding to indicate he was okay. 

 

“Darling, are you sure?” He took Alec’s hands into his own and looked into his boyfriend's eyes but Alec quickly looked away. 

 

Magnus dropped his head and squeezed Alec’s hands. And then he saw them, the glittery blue polish on his boyfriend’s nails, contrasting with his calloused hands. Magnus looked up at Alec who’s face had turned pinkish with embarrassment. 

 

“Were you trying to hide this from me?” Magnus asked as he intertwined his fingers with Alec’s, resting them on his lap. Alec nodded slowly to say yes to his question. 

 

“It suits you, Alec. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, you look even more beautiful.” Magnus smiled and Alec’s cheeks grew warmer in receiving the compliments from his lover. 

 

“I- I don’t know why I did t. It j-just felt right, y’know…” Alec rambled. “ I thought you’d think I’d done a bad job at it or get annoyed that I used your things without asking.” He finished and bowed his head again.

 

“Darling, you’re much better than I was when I started painting my nails and if you ever want me to paint your nails for you, I’ll gladly do it.” Magnus beamed at his shadowhunter, “And whatever is mine is yours, you know that.” He leaned in and kissed Alec softly, letting go of Alec’s hands to hold his waist. 

 

Alec’s now dried nails rested at the nape of Magnus’ neck. His fingers worked through strands of small hairs at the back of his boyfriend’s head, Magnus’ cobalt nail polish shimmering in the late-morning sun. 


	2. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec has the flu and Magnus takes care of him x

Alec was stuck in bed. He didn’t want to be there, he wanted to be at the institute making sure everything was under control, but instead he was lying beneath heavy bed sheets. He had just woken up from a short nap in a fit of coughing and realized he’d slept in by three hours and had several missed calls from his sister Isabelle and brother Jace wondering why he hadn’t shown up at the Institute that morning; Isabelle’s voicemails were much more vulgar than his brother’s. He sat up slowly and felt his stomach fall. It was a familiar feeling although he hadn’t felt it in a long time. He was sick. 

 

Shadowhunters hardly got sick. They are able to dodge common colds that mundanes deal with because of their angel blood but once in awhile, it was possible for a shadowhunter so catch one, especially if they were overworking themselves and stressing. Unfortunately for Alec, he was doing both of those things. On one hand, he wasn’t surprised he’d ended up sick- the last time he had the flu was because of the same reason. His throat was scratchy and it felt like he had swallowed sand, his mouth was dry and his lips were cracked. Again, he was set off on another fit of coughing, violently shaking the bed as he expelled all the air from his lungs. 

 

His boyfriend, Magnus, appeared at the door only a matter of seconds later, holding an empty mug in one hand and an orb of blue magic levitating above the other. He looked concerned and in awe as he looked over to his sick shadowhunter, cocooned in the sheets of their bed. 

 

“Are you feeling okay, Alexander?” Magnus spoke softly, the magic at his fingertips dissipating into thin air. 

 

Alec nodded his head and lay back down, nestling his head into the pillow beneath him. Not wanting to disturb him, Magnus returned to the kitchen where he was about to make Alec a cup of green tea. When he was done, he pulled up a chair and set the mug down on the bedside table. He gazed at his sleeping boyfriend whose face was burning hot and mouth slightly frowning. Even when he was sick he was beautiful. Magnus stood and opened one of the bay windows closest to the bed and a cold breeze swept in, making him shiver slightly. The disturbance to the room woke Alec up again, his forehead was scattered with beads of sweat and he sat up quickly, clutching his stomach and coughing again. He squinted his eyes and looked over to Magnus who was rushing to his side.

 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked. Alec smiled faintly and spoke with a croaking voice. 

 

“I feel terrible, Mags,” He admitted and touched his burning cheek, “I think- I think I have the flu.” He concluded.

 

“I think you do, darling.” Magnus laughed and placed a hand on Alec’s shoulder. He picked up the green tea he made his sick boyfriend and handed it to him. “Here, I made you this,” Magnus said as he dragged the chair closer to Alec. 

 

“Thanks, Mags.” Alec smiled back. He took a sip of the green drink and scowled but drank the cup anyway and Magnus fondly stared at him through it. 

  
Alec started coughing again and his throat became raw once more. Magnus helped soothe the pain with his magic however he was unable to heal his boyfriend’s mundane cold- he had tried but had no luck. Magnus summoned a bowl of chicken soup from a diner down the street and made Alec eat it before he went back to sleep. It was a lazy day and Magnus updated a few of his spellbooks as the shadowhunter in his bed slept soundly, occasionally wiping the sweat from Alec’s brows and getting him to drink water when he was getting too hot. It was later that night when Alec got out of bed for the first time that day that Magnus realized how sick Alec really was. He was pale, sweating and faint- not what a shadowhunter was supposed to be like and he knew that he couldn’t let Alec wear himself down anymore. Magnus didn’t really know how to help with mundane illnesses so he set out to the closest drugstore and bought anything with the word  _ Flu  _ written on the packaging. When he returned, Alec was lying back in bed, not asleep but staring out of the window at the fog that had accumulated beneath the city’s sky. Carefully reading the packages, he handed Alec a bottle of DayQuil and instructed him how to use it. As they were both unfamiliar with the substance and Alec hesitant to see if it would work with his shadowhunter blood, he eventually took the medicine and shortly after, fell back to sleep. Magnus, although happy to be of help to his boyfriend, was also feeling extremely tired and opted to go to sleep as well. It was early evening but he didn’t mind sleeping earlier than usual, he was with Alec and he’d take as much time with him as he could get. It didn’t bother him at all that he was sick. He liked taking care of him, his shadowhunter, his Alexander and as he fell asleep, the cold gust of air from the open window made him curl into Alec’s side, protecting him from the harsh cold. Even when his shadowhunter was sick, he always made Magnus feel safe and at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2/25! I hope you enjoyed today's fic! This one is short but sweet but I liked writing it a lot <3 I'll see everyone tomorrow


	3. $1.68

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year is 1891 and Alec is a paperboy. Magnus is a chemist. They spend Christmas together.

 

The street’s gas lamps flickered in the midst of a snowstorm. It was Tuesday, the 22nd of December and Alexander Lightwood, disowned son of a wealthy politician, Robert Lightwood, wandered through the streets of New York, clutching a small pouch holding all the money he could spare. It was not a lot, it was what he had saved all year. Alec was poor, almost homeless. He worked as a paperboy, delivering newspapers door to door and gathering tips from the richer neighbourhoods. The year was 1891 and he shuffled through the streets, navigating the snowy roads with his thin overcoat wrapped tightly around him, the wind reddening his nose and cheeks. He was walking home from a long day at work and it was only a few days until Christmas. Alec had rented a room in the basement of an established chemist’s home. It was windowless and dark but it was of generous size and had a fireplace- it was worth more than Alec was paying but the homeowner insisted he take the room.

 

Magnus Bane was a leading chemist who had traveled from Indonesia to pursue a future in western medicine. He was self-taught and a pioneer in his field but was secluded and never tended to work with others. Instead, he worked from his lab at home, only leaving to collect groceries or to meet his dearest friends Catarina Loss, a nurse working for the army, and Ragnor Fell, a mathematician for the  New York State Normal College at Albany. He was wealthier than he admitted and seemed extremely intimidating, only wearing the latest fashion and appearing at important social events at the invitation of the hosts. Magnus Bane was a celebrity in the science world and an icon to the city. Alec knew his name before he was searching for a place to live, but what surprised him was how kind and generous Magnus was. When he had first heard of the man he now called his landlord (and occasionally, friend), Alexander had believed him to be another snobby rich man with no sense of respect but when he had met him on a street corner after seeing an advertisement for a room for rent in the newspaper he was delivering that day, his opinion had changed. The value of his room was much higher than what he was paying Magnus but he did not seem to mind, in fact, he looked rather pleased. Every Sunday, he’d invite Alexander to his dining table to have dinner together and treated him as if he was not a poor man, but an equal. Alec treasured these days, he’d grown quite fond of the man he shared his Sundays with and looked forward to getting home to see him open the door for him. 

 

Alec hadn’t enough money to have anything close to luxury, although his room was similar to the one he had lived in when he resided with his parents, Magnus not allowing his housemate to live in shambles of a room. Alec’s room was his pride. It held a fireplace and a generous bed, a dusty but comfortable armchair, a writing desk and small bookcase. He had a small sink in the corner as well as a toilet in a small connected room and a gas lamp hung from the ceiling flickered slowly as it bathed the room in a yellow light. He hurried home with his pouch of savings tucked under his left arm, his coat battling the winter wind. He had saved the few tips he earned not to treat himself but instead to try to get Magnus a decent Christmas present, although he was scared it wouldn’t be good enough as Magnus was used to extravagant gifts and he could not afford such things. He arrived at the front door and knocked four times to tell Magnus it was him who was at the door. It promptly opened and there Magnus stood, wearing his tailored green tuxedo and waistcoat with his soft black hair neatly combed back. He stood tall and confident next to Alec’s slumped body. 

 

“Alexander!” Magnus exclaimed, “Come in, come in, dear. It’s awfully cold out, you’d better get warmed up.” and he lead Alec into his home. 

 

Alec was no stranger to Magnus Bane’s home nor was he unwelcome in it but Alec spent as little time there as he didn’t want to make a fool of himself. He was bad at keeping secrets and had a hard time keeping his own, especially when Magnus Bane lived above him. His secret? He was in love with Magnus. He was lead into his living room and sat in front of Magnus’ main fireplace, shivering slightly and hiding his pouch of coins within his coat. 

 

“I-I’m fine Magnus,” Alec argued but he was still shaking and obviously cold. 

 

“No you’re not, Darling,” Magnus smiled and sat down beside him. Alexander hid his face in embarrassment, he loved it when Magnus called him darling.

 

They sat there for a while, staring at the fire burning in the fireplace, each of them stealing a glance at the other when one wasn’t looking. And when Alec was warm again and Magnus was satisfied with his care, he dashed from the room and down to the basement, muttering a thank you before he disappeared. He tipped out the few coins he had saved up all year. In total, he had collected a sum of $1.85. It was a lot of money to Alec’s standard and he was quite proud of himself for saving up that much and he tucked it away in his coat pocket before he fell asleep.

 

The next morning when Alec was done with his newspaper rounds, he set out to buy a Christmas present for Magnus. He approached the Essex Jewelry Store with his money clinking in his pocket. Immediately when he entered, he felt out of place. His clothes were cheap and the price tags on the diamond studded jewelry tormented him as he walked to the desk. He asked the clerk for the least expensive zircon ring they had and in a few minutes, she returned with a small box. She opened it and revealed a thin gold ring holding a single blue zircon crystal. It was perfect. It was only $1.68 and he counted his money out on the glass countertop and pocketed the remaining $0.17. He had spent essentially all of his savings on this one gift for a man who had no idea Alec was in love with him. He exited the store with the small ring in a paper bag and walked to the closest post office, buying parcel paper and canvas tape before going back home. The weather was far less harsh than it was the day before and he had a pleasant walk back to his shared house, Magnus was busy working when he walked through the front door so he retreated down to his room. He wrapped his small present with a parchment note wishing Magnus a Merry Christmas and nervously placed it on his writing desk, he’d place it underneath Magnus’ tree on Thursday night. 

 

Wednesday came and went and suddenly, Thursday dawned on him. It was Christmas eve and he had placed Magnus’ present beneath his tree that morning before had set out to deliver newspapers. Now it was 6 pm and Alec was out to get a bouquet for Magnus with the money left over from shopping two days before. He chose a small bunch of blue flowers to match the ring he bought and returned home. Magnus was out for the evening at a science conference so Alec didn’t have to hide the flowers when he entered the house. He disappeared into the basement once again, anxious for Magnus to open his presents the next day and clumsily wrapped the blue bouquet. In the middle of the night, at around two am, Alec crept upstairs to set the flowers beneath the Christmas tree.

 

Magnus arrived home from his conference in the early hours of the morning. It was Friday, Christmas day, and he couldn’t wait for Alec to open the presents he’d bought and placed beneath his tree- he knew how hard his housemate’s life was and he was acquaintances with Alec’s father so he wanted to help Alec out. He entered the doorway and saw that fire was burning happily in the fireplace and a gas lamp on his coffee table was lit. He tiptoed into the living room cautiously and saw Alexander kneeling at the skirt of the tree, setting down a package beneath the branches. 

 

“Alexander?” Magnus asked quietly and Alec’s head perked up in surprise. His face blushed deeply and Magnus smiled softly at the boy knelt in his living room. 

 

“What are you doing?” He asked, amused at the expression on Alec’s face. 

 

“I-I was. Nothing. I’m sorry.” Alec rambled, dropping his head. Magnus made his way over to him and reached a hand under the younger man’s chin, lifting it slightly and smiled.

 

“It’s alright, darling,” Magnus reassured him and Alec blushed again, “What were you doing?” He asked again and Alec took a moment to looked at his present before turning back to Magnus. 

 

“I was putting a present under the tree for you,” Alec replied softly and Magnus’ face settled with a loving expression as he looked at the man who had taken the effort to buy him a present, despite the fact he had barely enough money to live well, but he hadn’t spotted the main present yet, the small wrapped box was being blocked by Alec’s body and the other presents beneath the tree. Magnus took a deep breath and stood up. 

 

“I’ll be right back, alright Alexander?” Magnus asked and Alec nodded. 

 

Magnus went upstairs to change out of his dress clothes and into something more casual and comfortable. While he was changing, Alec grabbed the wrapped ring and stuffed it in his trouser pocket in a panic. He wasn’t sure why. Magnus was so kind to him and treated him right and although he was appreciative of their friendship, he wished for something more. But it was clear Magnus didn’t want that, he’d shown no sign and so Alec decided he’d just have to suffer.

 

Upstairs, Magnus changed into slacks and a night robe. He pondered on how lucky he was to meet Alexander on the street that one day. Alec wasn’t just handsome but he was also smart and funny. He had hoped Alec was open to a relationship, he’d seen the way he looked at men but Alec never looked at him that way. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t treat him differently but he wished Alexander would give him a chance. He ventured back downstairs where Alec was now sitting on one of his sofas. Magnus sat down at the foot of the tree and gestured of Alec to join him on the floor. When Alec tilted his face in confusion, he spoke. 

 

“It’s Christmas, isn’t it?” Magnus stated, “Come on, Alexander, it’s time to open presents.” Alec panicked for a second but made his way over to the tree again. 

 

“Here,” Magnus said as he handed Alec a carefully wrapped box. Alec unwrapped it and opened the box and sitting within it was a neatly folded new overcoat. He gasped and looked up at Magnus who was beaming with delight at the reaction Alec was giving him. 

 

“Go on, try it on,” Magnus told him, so he shrugged it onto his shoulders. It was much finer than what he owned. It was lined with fur and it reminded him of the things he wore before he was kicked out from home. 

 

“T-thank you, Magnus,” Alec said, astonished by the fine present. But Magnus wasn’t done yet. No, he picked up another wrapped parcel, however, this one was significantly smaller and extremely light, it was as if there was nothing inside of it. Once again, he removed the paper and opened the box and inside was a photo of him, his brothers, Jace and Max, and his sister, Isabelle. He hadn’t seen them in over a year and he had nothing to remind him of them. Tears formed in his eyes as he glanced back up at Magnus. 

 

“I saw your sister last week and she told me to give you that,” Magnus said sadly. His mood quickly shifted when he saw Alec’s face beaming with happiness. 

 

“Thank you, oh thank you, I-I don’t,” But he didn’t finish his sentence because he was choking back tears. 

 

Magnus shushed him and told him everything was going to be alright. He sat closer to the crying boy he adored and pat him on the back, comforting him quietly. Alec reached over and picked up the wrapped flowers, placing it in Magnus’ lap, his face still wet with tears but his expression happy. Magnus pulled off the parcel paper and revealed the bouquet. He raised them to his face and sniffed them before fondly gazing at Alec. 

 

“Thank you, Alexander,” He stood and placed them in a vase. When he returned, he was holding a simple white envelope. 

 

“What’s this?” Alec asked curiously, taking the envelope from Magnus’ hand. 

“Open it and find out.”

 

Alec tore open the seal and opened the typed letter. 

 

_ Dear Alexander Lightwood, _

 

_ I am glad to announce that your application to fill the spot as the assistant _

to Dr. Magnus Bane has been accepted. You will be in contact with Dr. Bane

promptly  _and shall discuss payment and working hours as soon as possible._

 

_ All the best,  _

 

_ Ragnor Fell  _

 

Alec was speechless. He looked back and forth from the letter to Magnus. 

 

“So, what do you say?” Magnus asked, “Would you like to work for me?”

 

He didn’t reply for a while, he was still in shock. He never would have thought he would be offered a job like this, especially when he was publically outcasted by his parents.

 

"But I didn't apply." He said puzzled.

 

"I took the liberty of applying for you and I believe you are fit for the job." He replied. And for once he didn't argue because Magnus was willing to take a chance on him and so he agreed.

 

“Yes. I will. Thank you.” He finally said after a moment of contemplation. He stood and embraced the man who was willingingly giving him a second chance. 

 

Alec almost forgot the small box in his pocket as he was distracted with hugging Magnus. It was an odd feeling, being in the arms of the person you’ve been in love with for so long and that person not even knowing it. He pulled away and they sat on the floor again, Magnus had a small glint in his eyes and they both looked happy. But the protrusion of the box poked into Alexander’s leg, reminding him that the ring was there. 

 

“I, uh, I also got you something else.” Alec mumbled quietly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the badly wrapped small box and placed it in Magnus’ palm. 

 

Magnus took his time unwrapping the paper and before he opened the ring box, he carefully studied Alec’s face. He cracked open the box and saw the simple gold plated ring with the single zircon crystal installed snugly within the band.

 

“You got this for me?” Magnus asked sweetly and Alec nodded shyly. Magnus slipped the ring on his finger and it was a size too large but he could always get it fixed. 

 

“I love it, Alexander. Thank you.” Magnus told him, his voice sincere and raw. Alec looked up into his eyes and saw the emotion behind his words. His face was now salmon and his hands fumbled on his knees, he didn’t know how to respond to the attention. 

 

Magnus cleared the torn paper from the floor around them and shuffled closer to the boy who had no doubtedly spent a great deal of his money on this present and sighed, “You didn’t have to spend all that money on me, you know, darling?”

 

“I know,” He paused, “But I wanted to.”

 

Magnus held Alec’s hands in his own and looked into his eyes. They were dilated and puffy thanks to the shed tears from moments before. He held his breath, as if he was submerged beneath the water for only a moment and let the air out under his breath. 

 

Alec felt the same way. He hadn’t thought his reaction would be this great but he was happy the present was well-received. He saw something in Magnus’ eyes but he couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, all he knew was that he was sitting close to Magnus and could almost feel the heat radiating from his skin. And for the first time since he was disowned, Alec tried to be brave. He softly placed his hand on Magnus’s shoulder and shut his eyes to compose himself, looking directly at the chemist that sat in front of him. 

 

“Magnus, uh, I, nevermind.” He withdrew his arm and slouched inwards. 

 

“What is it?” Magnus asked, now concerned. Alec raised his head so he could see Magnus’ face. 

 

“Could I, uh, maybe, kiss you?” Alec asked quietly and Magnus’ face shone with contentment. 

 

“It would be most welcome, Alexander.” He replied. 

 

Magnus let Alec take his time but in no more than a few seconds, their lips had met. Alec’s were slightly chapped but they were still soft and the coldness of Magnus’ new ring chilled the back of Alec’s neck. They weren’t sure what they were doing but it felt right so that was enough assurance for them. They kissed in the light of the fire, now burning low in the fireplace, their legs tangled on the carpet beneath the tree. They separated for air and looked at each other. Really looked at each other and they laughed. After all this time they were clueless, they had been wishing for the same thing, hoping that feelings would be reciprocated. But now they were and as the sun rose on christmas morning, they sat together in front of the embers of the fire, their hands clasped and their hearts finally on the same page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was something different but it's one of my favourite things I've written in a long time. I hope you had a good time reading today's fic x. Tomorrow's story is super cute and I hope you like it!


	4. Burnt Violet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a burst of curiosity, Alec decides it's time to try out wearing makeup and luckily he has a boyfriend who knows all about it!

Alec was scared and nervous. Not in the same way he would be if he was heading into battle but instead he was a lot more anxious than normal. Why? Simply because of something he asked his boyfriend about earlier that day. A few words. A question had his mind spinning. 

 

The day before, Alec was waiting for his boyfriend, Magnus, to get ready for a date and had ended up trying to put on his own lipstick. When Magnus emerged from the bathroom and saw him, his smile became contagious and he offered to help fix the small mistakes he had made. And then he continued to compliment him all night. Alec didn’t know why he was drawn to wearing the burnt violet colour on his lips but he wanted to try it out. Then, that morning, before he set out for the Institute, he had asked a question. Magnus was half awake, lying beneath the sheets as his boyfriend got dressed but was still paying attention to Alec rambling about his schedule for the day. In the midst of his ramblings, Alec remembered how he felt the night before and how Magnus had reacted and stopped mid-sentence. The abrupt stop caused Magnus to jolt his head to Alec’s. 

 

“Is everything alright, Alexander?” Magnus asked, now sitting up with the bedsheets pooling around his waist. Alec swallowed and nodded hastily. 

 

His boyfriend got out of bed and made his way over to him, wrapping his arms around Alec’s waist as he attempted to put his socks on. 

 

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” He asked again, concerned for his wellbeing. 

 

Alec separated himself from Magnus and put on his socks, facing him when he saw his disappointed expression in the corner of his eye. He sighed and blushed slightly. 

 

“I was wondering if you could do my makeup for me.” He said under his breath. Magnus, unable to hear his faint words, furrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement, trying to identify what Alec had just said. 

 

“Could you speak up a bit more, Darling?” He teased playfully and crossed his arms over his chest.

 

Alec took a deep breath and looked at him fiercely, he was nervous and giddy at the same time. But he wanted to do this and so he spoke.

 

“Could you do makeup on me?” He asked again, this time, significantly louder and clearer. His face flushed and he hid his face in his hands. 

 

Magnus, on the other hand, was shocked but extremely happy. He had never really seen his boyfriend express the desire to wear makeup other than the night before. He had always imagined Alec wearing his favourite makeup and after their night out, he wished it’d come true even more. He closed the small space between them and embraced the younger man, his arms settling on the small of Alec’s back. He signed with a sweet smile and looked into his boyfriend’s eyes. 

 

“Of course I will, you silly boy, but later on, okay?” Magnus told him, “ You’d better be off to the Institute.” He smiled and Alec nodded in agreement. Alec made his way to the front door, Magnus following behind him like a stray dog and he pulled on his boots, leaning against the door to balance himself.

 

“I’ll see you tonight!” Magnus said in excitement and kissed Alec softly before he walked out the door.

 

“See you,” Alec replied timidly before smiling back and walking down the hallway to the elevators. 

 

And now it was the end of the day and this was where he ended up. He was finishing off his last report of the day and was anxious but excited to get home. On his way out, he caught the eye of his sister, Izzy, who was smirking at him knowingly. She always seemed to know what was going on and he suspected she had been texting Magnus throughout the day. As he neared closer to his and Magnus’ loft, he grew more conflicted. He didn’t have a problem with guys wearing makeup, it was just that he was scared that if he liked it, he wouldn’t be able to take it off which wouldn’t be fully accepted at the institute, not to mention people wouldn’t take him seriously. He was also scared that it would look silly on him. He wasn’t doubting his boyfriend’s skill at makeup but Alec didn’t particularly like his face and was scared the makeup would make him look worse. He couldn’t avoid going home though, so he faced it and texted Magnus saying he was a few blocks away. When he entered the threshold of their home, Alec was on edge. He walked into the living room and heard his boyfriend’s soft voice humming along to an old song that Alec didn’t recognize and he wandered to the door. Magnus was sitting at his makeup table, happily cleaning his brushes and organizing his eyeshadow palettes by colour, oblivious that Alec was standing in the door frame. Alec cleared his throat quietly to grab his boyfriend’s attention and Magnus jumped back slightly at the noise, looking startled like a deer in the headlights, although within a second he had composed himself again.

 

“Ah, Alec, you’re home.” Magnus said cheerfully, standing and rotating the chair he was sitting on, away from the large mirror in front of his makeup table, “Take a seat, darling.”

 

And so Alec sat, clueless as to what would happen next. He had grown up with a little sister who was almost as obsessed with makeup as Magnus was but he never dared touch Izzy’s precious cosmetics and he’d forgotten most of the thing she had told him. 

 

“So, Alexander, do you have a particular theme you’d like to go with? Any colours you have in mind?” Magnus asked as he selected a foundation for his boyfriend’s skin.

 

“Um, I don’t know, Magnus,” Alec replied, “ I saw a woman a few days ago who was wearing a lot of red and brown and I, uh, want to look like she did…” he trailed off and Magnus smiled softly at him, slightly biting his lip in concentration, he told Alec to sit back and close his eyes and painted the foundation onto his tanned face. 

 

The process was calming for both men. Magnus greatly enjoyed the art of doing makeup and was happy his boyfriend had asked for him to do his. Alec, although he was still wary that it would make him look stupid, he liked the feeling of the makeup gliding across his face. Magnus worked his way through the different products, combing his eyebrows and contouring his face, decorating his eyelids with rusted red pigment and his lips with a matte brown. He had a hard time doing Alec’s mascara but soon enough, Magnus was done. He turned his boyfriend around and positioned him in front of his mirror, fondly gazing at the beautiful man he was lucky enough to be in a relationship with. He counted down from five and told Alec to open his eyes. So he did.

 

Alec looked into the mirror and the person he saw before him looked like a stranger. He could see his face but it didn’t look right, not that he didn’t like it, it was just really different. But he did like it, in fact, he loved it. He caught Magnus staring at him with love in his eyes as he inspected his eyeshadow and was surprised that the makeup had enhanced his face rather than destroy it. Alec turned to Magnus and grinned a wide smile, Magnus smiling back equally as happy. 

 

“I, don’t know what to say,” Alec spoke but he couldn’t find the words to say. 

 

“That’s alright,” Magnus replied, “You look beautiful.”

 

Alec hid his face in his hands and blushed. “Thank you,” He said humbly. He gave Magnus a quick kiss and made sure his lipstick didn’t smudge onto his boyfriend’s lips and they sat together on their balcony, looking out at the great city of New York and holding each other's hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and thanks for joining me on day 4!   
> I hope you liked this little fic. Not all of them will be as long as yesterday's x   
> I'll see you all tomorrow for a little something to do with a date night ;)
> 
> x Bella


	5. Candlelight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a snowstorm and the power goes out.

Magnus was halfway done cooking dinner for himself and his boyfriend when the power went out. Alec was taking a nap after a long day of patrolling the city for Sebastian and had gotten caught up in a small demon attack. He was able to defeat them but it wore him out. Magnus had promised him that he’d wake up to a ready dinner, he was too tired to cook for himself so his boyfriend took it upon himself to make dinner for the both of them, and besides, he didn’t mind it at all. But the power was out and the oven stopped working. He couldn’t conjure up pure electricity with his magic so he gave up. Disappointed, he put the uncooked portion of their meal back into the fridge, discarding the calf cooked meat that was stuck in the oven. He had hoped that they could spend the evening together eating a personal meal, it was one of Alec few evenings where he had nothing to do and could completely focus on their relationship without worrying if he had forgotten to do something. Magnus figured the loft would become very cold, very quickly as the heating had ceased and it would only was a matter of time until coldness set over the loft.

 

It was seeming to be a harsh winter in New York. Streets had been blocked with snow and the temperatures not only made breath turn to clouds but also stung lips if they weren’t protected and Magnus didn’t want to battle that kind of cold. But he could take food from restaurants and pay them in return, of course, it wouldn’t be personally made but it was better than nothing. He gathered all of his candles from around the loft and lit them with the flick of his hand, the cumulative fire being a faint warmth. He reached into his boyfriend, Alec’s, coat pocket and found his witchlight. It glowed red in the palm of his hand and he navigated the loft with it in hand, casting an ominous silhouette of himself against his living room. 

 

Magnus ‘borrowed’ plates of food from a restaurant he had recently dined at with his good friend, Ragnor Fell. It was a French restaurant named  _ Le Bernardin  _ and fortunately, they had not lost power. He took full meals, appetizers, main courses, soup and dessert, the freshly cooked food steaming from the plate. 

 

It was now nine in the evening and the sky had been completely dark for a while. Magnus had set the table for the two of them, transferring the food onto their plates and selecting the perfect wine to go with the dinner. He wandered to his sleeping boyfriend, resting in his bed and quietly woke him with a few soft words. Alec batted his eyelashes as he cleared the sleep from his eyes. He took Magnus’ hand and was lead to the dinner table. They smiled and ate together, Alec knowing the meal wasn’t cooked by his boyfriend but happy they had the chance to eat together and although it was cold outside, they kept one another warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is extremely short I know!! I'm sorry it's my mom's birthday and I didn't have much time to write x  
> see you all tomorrow!


	6. Gingerbread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gingerbread men decoration!

The smell of fresh ginger and cinnamon filled the kitchen. Alec and Magnus were busy making gingerbread cookies for their friend, Catarina Loss. She worked long shifts at a mundane hospital over the holiday season and they decided they wanted to give her a small present when they met up the next day. It was a few days before Christmas day and they had been baking in preparation for a Christmas dinner they were hosting for Alec’s siblings and Magnus’ friends. Altogether, there were eleven of them and both Alec and Magnus had been preparing the meal for days in advance. But today they were relaxing and making human-shaped cookies. Magnus rolled out the cookie dough and Alec cut out the shapes with the cookie cutter. They had accidentally doubled the recipe and had enough dough to make 60 cookies. Of course, they weren’t going to give them all to Catarina but they still decided they would make all sixty of them. Magnus greased up the baking trays and preheated the oven while Alec picked up each raw gingerbread man with the end of a spatula and deposited them on the trays. 

 

It was cold. Magnus’ brick walls were chilling to the touch and the windows fogged whenever breath got close enough to touch it. Fog hung low, caressing the city with its cold humidity. The streets were covered in slushy snow, turned brown from the tires of tired commuters. It wasn’t snowing at the time they were baking but it had been snowing the night before and a blanket of white lay over the balconies of skyscrapers and park benches.

 

Alec hadn’t really baked before. He’d made a muffin once but he wasn’t very good at cooking in general so he tended to steer clear of anything that used an oven and measuring cups. But he knew his boyfriend loved baking and was happy to help him, especially if it was for Catarina, who he knew worked extremely hard healing mundanes while still being active in the shadow world as a respected warlock. They were able to fit 12 on each tray and used five altogether, cramming them into Magnus’ oven and setting the timer. As they waited for the cookies to bake, Alec and Magnus sat together on their sofa, Magnus read a book and Alec glanced it over his shoulder. They sat beneath a blanket, the strong smell of the gingerbread cooking in the oven invading their noses with a pleasant scent. Before the timer had finished, Alec had fallen asleep on his boyfriend’s shoulder, he didn’t have many days off and the warmness of the blanket comforted him. When the timer did go off, it startled Alec awake. Magnus chuckled at his reaction and pulled himself off of the sofa, Alec following him after stretching his arms, they took the trays of cookies out and set them to cool on the dinner table. Magnus gathered ingredients to decorate the desserts, setting them out on the kitchen counter as a makeshift workstation for them to create their designs. With the click of his fingers, Magnus set his radio to play Christmas songs and quietly hummed as Alec, still tired from his nap, wiped the sleep from his eyes.

 

When they were cool enough, they picked a tray each and started the final stage of the cookies. Alec, who hadn’t ever decorated a cookie before, got frosting everywhere. He glanced over to Magnus who was carefully squeezing a piping bag onto his design and blushed, he tried to mimic what he was doing. At around the twenty cookie mark, Alec got the handle of everything and his decorating skills were now refined. The lines were no longer shaky and Magnus looked over at him and smiled. They had decorated in almost-silence, the Christmas music playing softly in the background and when they were finished, they packaged a box of twenty for Caterina and sent it her way through a portal. The rest they saved for whenever they needed them, they could give them as snacks at their dinner, they could give them to people on the streets, or they could keep them for themselves. They didn’t know yet. As they put them away into containers for another day and went to bed that night, the smell of gingerbread still hung in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all I hope you're doing well  
> thanks for joining me on day 6 of malecmas!  
> I'll see you tomorrow!   
> x Bella


	7. Box Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec dance!

Alec wasn’t the one for dancing and Magnus knew that, but it didn’t stop him from asking every once in a while. They had been dating for almost a year now and Alec treasured their date night each week, often going to different restaurants around the city paired with seeing a show on Broadway, a walk around central park or listening to live music performed in small bars. Never in all that time had Alec danced. It wasn’t that he couldn’t dance, it was just that he didn’t want to dance in front of people. He had been trained to dance ballroom dancing as a child and knew how to dance it well, even if he never admitted it, although even Magnus didn’t know this small secret and assumed Alec just didn’t know how to dance. There was only one occasion Alec would dance and it was happening soon, and he did it for a good cause.

 

It was that time of year where the cold just gets plain annoying. It was too cold to keep hands out in the open and the tips of people's noses turned chilly and pink. It was harsh and snow froze to the bottom of Alec’s boots, diminishing the grip he needed for the walk home to his and Magnus’ loft. He had worn a thinly lined winter jacket that was made for warmer weather and Alec kept it pulled around himself as he quickly strode through the piles of mushy snow on the sidewalks, his toes numbing within his socks. He had also clumsily wrapped one of his boyfriend’s many scarves around his neck and over his face to stop it from burning in the below-freezing temperatures. Despite it being extremely cold, Alec was smiling beneath his scarf, happy about what he was going to tell Magnus when he got home. When he entered the building and took the trip up the elevator to their loft, he unwrapped the scarf from around his head and took out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket. He unfolded it with his cold hands and in large printed letters was an invitation. 

 

 **Alec Lightwood, You Are Invited to the Annual Christmas Ballroom Fundraiser for Orphaned Downworlders.** **You are requested to perform** **a single dance in the participation of this year’s fundraiser. Please get back to us as soon as possible. We’ll see you there on December 23rd!**

 

That gave Alec just under two weeks to practice. He normally danced with his sister, Isabelle but this year he had Magnus and he was going to ask to dance with him, so as soon as he walked through the door he shoved the notice into his boyfriend’s hands, asking him if he’d be his dancing partner at that year’s fundraiser.

 

To say Magnus was surprised was an understatement. His mouth opened and closed in shock like a goldfish being stared at through a glass screen. Shortly afterward, Magnus’ shock turned into happiness as he hugged Alec tightly and laughed with a joy that made Alec feel happier as well. Magnus was still extremely confused as to why he kept his dancing ability from him but after he explained it all, Magnus dragged him into their living room. He pushed the couches and coffee table back to create an open space that they could move around in and with the snap of his fingers, the flowing notes of a soft waltz song emitted from their radio. They smiled at each other as they took their places in on another’s arms and with a nod of Alec’s head, they moved together in an odd synchronicity, stepping in boxed steps around the room, spinning Magnus every few rounds and sidestepping when they both found it was the right time. The song slowed to a halt but Magnus and Alec continued to dance without any music, the cold weather freezing the balcony doors shut but their home warm, welcoming and a safe place for them to to be themselves.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for joining me on day 7 of Ficmas!  
> Today marks a week since I started writing these small stories!   
> I'll see you all tomorrow for a very special day. That's right, it's someone's birthday.   
> xo Bella


	8. Birthdays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Magnus’ Birthday!!

Magnus didn’t celebrate his birthday. It reminded him of his age and the fact that he was immortal. he’d stop celebrating around the time he turned 300, the last time being when he and his fellow warlock friends Catarina and Ragnor went off on a spontaneous trip to Scotland for his 354th birthday. Scotland wasn’t the best place to spend a birthday in Magnus’ opinion, it wasn’t that he didn't like Scotland, it was just that he’s been there many times before and there wasn’t much to do. Magnus hadn’t told many people the date of his birth, in fact the only people alive to remember it were those warlock friends and his vampire acquaintance, Raphael Santiago. He hadn’t even told his boyfriend Alec Lightwood.

Alec Lightwood was his shadowhunter boyfriend and he often wondered when Magnus’ birthday was but he would never tell him whenever he asked and contemplated looking through history books to find out. When he eventually did search for it, there was no information about his boyfriend’s birthday whatsoever and he had to settle without the information. But one day, on particularly snowy December night, Alec was visited by none other than Magnus’s good friend, Raphael.

He showed up in the shadows beckoning Alec out of the Institute and into the night to meet with him. It seemed ominous on and mysterious, as most vampires were, Raphael hardly interacting with the shadowhunters if he had the choice, but he was willingly spending time with Alec. It was a chilly December and Alec wrapped his thin jacket around him as he battled the wind, Raphael, being dead, didn’t mind the cold at all. They nodded when the met and walked in silence down the street to a local park where they sat on a bench together for a moment before Raphael simply slipped a piece of paper from his coat pocket into Alec hand. And without saying a word, he was leaving. He stood and walked away and Alec, being someone not used to hanging around vampires in any recreational way, tilted his head in confusion before looking back at the note in his hand. He pocketed it and walked the short walk back to the Institute.

When he arrived, he made his way to his room, kicking his boots off at the door to his room and shrugging off his jacket when he got to his chair. He took a seat at a small desk in the corner of his bedroom and unfolded the small paper into a larger sheet. There were only a few words written but they were written clearly ‘It’s my Magnus’ birthday on Friday, I thought you should know’ Alec took his phone from his pocket and look down to check the day. it was Wednesday and Magnus’s birthday was that friday December the eighth.The small mystery he was hoping to find the answer to was presented to him, scrawled in writing on a scrap piece of paper. He told himself he’d greatly thank Raphael later.

The next day Alex woke up in a panic, it was the 7th of December and he had only found out that his boyfriend’s birthday was the next day. He didn’t have a present for him and was working immensely, despite the fact that he knew it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know his birthday and therefore didn’t buy a present for him. However he still felt bad for not doing so, so he tried to ask his younger sister. Izzy for help but she only replied with crude gift ideas that made him blush in embarrassment. Instead, he said out on his lunch break to find a gift suitable the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and he decided he wanted to surprise him. Alec guessed that Magnus finding out about the fact he knew was birthday would be a surprise within itself but he wanted to give a gift that meant a lot to them. He thought back to the adventures they gone on around the world, when they went to Japan, their trip to Morocco and then his memory stopped on the time they both travelled to Indonesia. Indonesia had a lot of mixed memories for Magnus. It was where he was born, where he was raised, where he experienced trauma and his childhood but also gave him memories of his mother.

When he got back to the institute, Alex requested for a portal to be opened to Indonesia but it was denied by the clave so we turned to the next best option, Clary Fray, resident shadowhunter at the New York Institute. They hadn’t always gotten along but they were friends and she agreed to open a portal for him. He stepped through the swirling mirror of magic into a buzzing community full of stalls and small shops, the ground being a thick floor of cracked mud. There was a particular shop, a very small one that specialised in jewellery making at the end of the road. It was a place Magnus had made him visit and make a bracelet.  
Unfortunately Magnus had lost his bracelet, the one that Alec had made for him, in a battle and Alec thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make one again. He sat in the store for almost 2 hours, selecting glass beads and terracotta pieces to create a brand new bracelet for his boyfriend. When he was done he stood and paid the old man who ran the shop and left swiftly, calling for Clary to make another portal so he could return home.

When he did return, it was later in the day. He did his regular training with his brother, Jace, and went out on his rounds to check for any Demons. He checked out of work early and placed his boyfriend’s new bracelet in the breast pocket inside of his jacket, keeping it safe from the cold of the New York winter. Magnus’ birthday was in a few hours and Alec was extremely nervous because he had never given a gift to someone he dated before. He stayed over at Magnus’ that night and was extremely anxious because he wondered if Magnus could see through his facade, but it seemed he didn’t and they fell asleep together with snow falling outside the window.

When Alec first woke woke up, it was barely 5am. Magnus was sleeping beside him with his mouth slightly open, the only light in the room was the light coming from Alec phone, charging on the bedside table. He got out of bed and made his way over this jacket which as loosely hanging on the back of a nearby chair. He took out the bracelet and slipped it into a small bag before going back to sleep. When he properly awoke, it was almost 10 o’clock in the morning and Magnus was sitting up next to him, stroking Alec’s hair softly. He sat up next to Magnus and kissed him softly, telling him a quiet good morning before reaching next to the bed and pulling out the small bag. He handed it to Magnus and with realisation, he opened his birthday present. He automatically knew what it was and slipped it onto his hand, embracing Alec in a loving hug, his eyes almost brimming with tears. His birthday often gave him bad memories but Alec could make them hurt less and he welcomed the love with open arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday to the one and only Magnus Bane!   
> Thank you for joining me for day 8!   
> I’ll see you all tomorrow xo  
> x Bella


	9. Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec goes ice skating and Magnus helps him out x

Alec wasn’t into sports so he wondered why was he being dragged to Central Park to skate with his sister Isabelle and her boyfriend Simon. They had dragged him to the frozen rink with the intent of him going skating, the problem was that Alec didn’t know how to skate. He supposed he never needed the skill of knowing how to skate and he didn’t particularly want to state, he’d rather be sitting in a library reading a good book but now he was out in the cold, the December snow chilling his cheeks as he sat on a bench and attempted to tie his ice skates. He was slightly scared of what would happen once he hit the ice, he didn’t know if he would fall straight away or start to glide and then fall after a few seconds. Alec didn’t even know if he could make it to the rink without falling over because his ankle was wobbly and his feet shook as he took his first steps, he was like a toddler, learning how to work walk, one foot at a time. 

 

Step-by-step, he made was way over the rubber floor to the edge of the rink where adults and kids skated in circles happily. Isabelle and Simon were already on the ice, hand-in-hand surrounded by the snowy trees, smiling as they skated together. Alec, on the other hand, was holding onto the side of the ice rink, scared he would injure himself if he let go. He had successfully hade his was onto the ice rink but didn’t know how to proceed, he slid his feet over the ice and the sound of the ice being cut by his sharp skates made him fear that he would fail his attempt of skating even more. Every few minutes, he tried to convince himself that he could let go, that he could just push off like the rest of the people on the rink and skate on his own like everyone else.

 

He felt embarrassed, he believed he was drawing a lot of attention to himself because he was a grown man clinging to the side of the ice rink. Isabelle and Simon were almost oblivious as to what Alec was up to. He took a break and looked out at the leafless trees that winter had brought, the music from the ice rink speakers thumped from a few feet away but he tried to silence the songs from his mind so he could concentrate. He was almost ready to try to skate again when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned around and was met with an Asian man not much shorter than himself, around his age, extending his hand to introduce himself. 

 

“Hi, I saw you were having some trouble,” He smiled, “I’m Magnus. Would you like some help?” The man asked. 

 

“Hi.” Alec replied sheepishly, “I’m Alec, and y-yeah, that’d be nice.” He blushed. 

 

They linked arms as they slowly set off onto the path in which the other people were moving, Alec feet moving in a way that he didn’t think was possible and he was happy that Magnus was there to keep him from falling over whenever he tried to move forward. He felt stupid for not being able to skate well but he was trying his best. He glanced over at Magnus who was concentrating on Alec’s feet on the ice and Alec saw how beautiful the man helping him was. He hadn’t really noticed it at first as he was too self-conscious of his skating and didn’t want to embarrass himself but now as he got used to gliding over the ice, the looks of the man he was happy holding onto became clear. He had spiky hair that captured snowflakes as they fell from the sky and wore a dark eyeshadow paired with a brown coat and beige scarf. His smile was like the sun on that cold day, warming him whenever he saw it. Alec got better at skating over time and when he was almost convinced he could do it alone, he let himself slip back into not being able to skate, well at least he pretend to not be able to, just so Magnus would still stand next to his side.

 

Shortly after, Isabelle and Simon exited the rink and made eye contact with Alec, Isabelle raising her eyebrows in surprise and Simon winking in encouragement. Alec separated his arm from Magnus’ and made his way back to the edge of the rink, holding onto the railing for support. He said that he had to leave and Magnus helped him again, leading him to one of the benches to take off their skates. In silence, they removed the blades from their feet, it was awkward but it also wasn’t, Alec just didn’t know what to say to the man who had helped him learn how to skate that afternoon and even though it was a small thing, he was grateful that  someone had taken the time to do something so kind. He turned to leave to catch up to his sister but Magnus called him over to where he was packing up the skates into his bag. 

 

“I enjoyed today,” Magnus beamed and Alec murmured in agreement. 

 

“How about we do this again another time?” Magnus asked hopefully and Alec blushed.

 

“S-sure.” He stuttered, pulling his phone from his pocket, “Could I have your number?” He asked excitedly.

 

Magnus took Alec’s phone and entered his number into his contacts as Isabelle shouted for Alec to hurry up.

 

“Here,” Magnus said as he handed back Alec’s phone. He picked up Alec’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I’ll see you later, pretty boy.” He winked before heading off in the other direction. 

 

Alec walked to Izzy and Simon who were whispering to themselves and Alec knew he wouldn’t let the day be forgotten by his sister. And she didn’t let it down because later that night, she caught him texting Magnus about going skating again and she was proud that he was finally doing something for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for joining me on day 9! I hope you enjoyed it!   
> I'll see you all on day 10! xo   
> x Bella


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo i hope you like day 10!!  
> see u tomorrow for a cute date xo

It was a cold day in December. Inches of thick snow blanketed the rural landscape of the British countryside. Alec lightwood, his boyfriend, Magnus Bane and Alec’s siblings were on Christmas vacation to visit the London Institute and had stopped by his grandfather’s old estate. It was a few days until Christmas and Alec’s little brother, Max hadn’t ever seen as much snow as there was in his life. Alec had remembered that he was just like his brother when he had first come to England during the winter and saw the excessive amount of snow compared to the polluted streets of New York. He let his little brother run out into the snow, it was so high it came up to Max’s knees and he stood at the door smiling as his brother frolicked in the snow.

Soon afterwards, Isabelle, his younger sister, joined Max. She and him had always had an extremely close friendship and they started building a small snowman together. Alec leaned on the doorframe on the front porch and Magnus came to stand beside him, he held out his hand to his boyfriend and they held hands, standing there for a second until Magnus suddenly pulled him to join the others in the snow. Just a few moments later, Jace, Alec’s adopted brother, joined them outside and they all stood in the cold, although they didn’t feel cold, they felt happy. Each of them took turns helping Max with his snowman and when Max was done, he decided he wanted to try something else.

He pretended to start making another snowman you made a small cave out of compact it’ just join them a moment afterwards and they all stood in the cold although they didn’t feel cold, they felt happy. They, again, helped Max with a snowman but Max hid several snowballs in a little alcove he had created behind he first snowman and continued to fake his second snowman. Isabelle looked over her shoulder to see what Max was doing and he glared at her as if he was saying not to tell Alec or Magnus. Izzy quietly shuffled over to her little brother and helped him to increase the amount of snowballs he had stashed. Alec and Magnus were too busy, distracted by each other making snow angels, Alec laughing whenever he made one because he was part angel. Jace had gone inside to get a pair of gloves, his hand had turned red from handling the snow without them but came back and joined Izzy and Max with their secretive snowball making.

It all came to a halt when Max started laughing about his plan. He was going to ambush his older brother and his boyfriend, pelting them with snowballs and when he thought of what their faces would look like once they were hit with the compacted snow, he burst out laughing. Magnus and Alec were startled and they stopped the snow I angels and walked over to Max, Isabelle and Jace who were desperately trying to cover the large amount of snowballs they had collected but it didn’t work.

Everything happened quickly, Max grabbed behind him and reached for a snowball, his small hand grabbed it and threw it straight for Magnus’ chest however it didn’t hit him in the chest, it hit him square in the face. It took Magnus a moment to realise what had happened but when he did a cunning smirk was born upon his face Alec started laughing. But his laughing was cut short when Jace threw a snowball at him, knocking him backwards as it hit him in the gut. He smiled wickedly and kneeled to the ground, making his own snowballs for himself. But he was no match for the cavalry of snowballs his siblings had pre made, they had a plan, and it was likely that Jace, Izzy and Max were going to succeed however they hadn’t accounted for the fact that Magnus was a Warlock. They seemed to have forgotten that crucial piece of information because with the click of his fingers Magnus has created around 100 snowballs with his magic. He created a 3 foot wall of snow that he and Alec hid behind and laughter filled the air.

Magnus hadn’t felt this young in a long time and he thanked the youngest Lightwood brother for helping him feel like a young man again, despite the fact he was over 400. They threw snowballs from one side of the field to the other, occasionally hitting shoulders and legs and sometimes faces but they laughed it off and continued to play until the winter sky got dark.


	11. Carriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An evening.

It was a dark December evening when Alec Lightwood got off from his shift the Institute. He travelled through the snow on the sidewalks of New York, holding a half empty coffee cup his left hand and his phone in his right, held within his jacket pocket to keep it from freezing in the cold. It was around Christmas time, and oddly it was also when Demons and downworlders seemed to settle for a while, leaving the shadowhunters able to relax with their family if they chose to celebrate Christmas. The streets were busy with commuters coming home from their jobs and mundanes were taking up every inch of every sidewalk, Alec had to push his way through them to get where he was trying to go. Although it was snowing, it wasn’t very cold. The wind did make Alec’s cheeks turn red but it wasn’t painful, he was going to meet his boyfriend, Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, outside of their loft. They were going on a date.

They weren't going out to dinner so Alec didn’t bother changing into fancier clothes, he was wearing his shadowhunter uniform. It wasn’t so much of a uniform but it was what he wore every day for work. Alec was told they were going to Central Park but he had no idea what they were going to do there. He holped they were going to go skating or maybe they were about to go on a nice walk, he didn’t really know what Magnus had planned for the two of them as it was a last-minute idea that was arranged only that morning.

Alec was running earlier than he had anticipated and he knew his boyfriend was most likely going to take longer than expected doing his hair and makeup as well as also choosing an outfit so he stopped off at a small coffee shop that one of his acquaintances, Clary Fray’s mundane friends worked at. He ordered a plain black coffee and an almond croissant, eating the croissant before he left the small shop, he looked out at the continuously falling snowflakes blanketing the road. His hot coffee warmed his hands as he ventured out into the cold once again and when he arrived at the street corner outside of their loft, Mangus was waiting there. His hands were bunched into a fitted black jacket that was studded in rows along the back and had a collar similar to a vampire’s cape. His hair was gelled up and was spiky, although the moisture from the snow wet it very slightly, making it shimmer. His eyeshadow was dark and it contrasted with the white snow.

Magnus outstretched his hand for Alec to hold and Alec grasped it and they started walking along in silence, the subway system was extremely busy with mundanes coming to and from work and home, switching shifts and busying the transit system so instead, they walked. Magnus created protective bubble around them, keeping them warm as they walked in the cold. They knew they were cheating the system, they saw everyone else who were walking in the streets shivering in the cold yet they were warm in their small invisible bubble of warmth. On the way to Central Park, they saw small children at the sides of the roads with their parents, creating snowmen and small igloos that were too small for them to hide in. They saw teenagers pelting snowballs at one another and dogs frolicking through the coldness, wandering into snowbanks with their fur being the only thing bypassers were able to see.

Magnus has reserved a horse drawn carriage and it was waiting for them when they arrived. Alec stepped up first, followed by Magnus and the coachman set off, the park’s lamplights being the pathway in which they were going to go. It was nice, it was calming, it was something Alec really needed. Throughout the chaos of hunting demons and the possibility of dying every day, it was nice to take time out and just observe the world in that carriage, stationary yet moving, just sitting and staring out and as he held Magnus. They smiled at one another, they didn’t say anything but they knew they were happy and that was all they needed to know, the sound of the horse's hooves hitting the street luling the day to an end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short so i’ll keep this short!  
> i hope you liked it! and i’ll see you all tomorrow!


	12. Ornaments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec goes to Macy's.

Alec was out shopping for ornaments for his and Magnus’ Christmas tree that year. Magnus was away for a few hours on warlock business and Alec had a few days off for Christmas so he decided it was time for them to get new Christmas ornaments as the ones Magnus had in storage were worn out and at least 50 years old. Although they were sentimental to Magnus, they had a past and he wanted new ones to be able to decorate their home for their first Christmas together. He walked down the streets of New York, making his way to the mundane department store Macy’s. Christmas was in full swing there, there was a man dressed up as the mundane character Santa Claus in the middle of the store, taking photos with families. Christmas music blared from speakers hidden behind false walls and the sound of bells jingling carried throughout the large building. He had an idea in mind of what the tree would look like and how the tree would make them feel and he couldn’t wait to surprise Magnus. 

 

First, he stopped off at the nearest store, which was a small pop-up holiday store. He decided he was going to give the decorations meaning and thought back at significant times when one another had been in their life. When he Magnus had first met, Alec was closeted and afraid of himself and so he chose a plain black bauble to represent how we felt when he was in that period of his life. In contrast, he also picked up one that was covered in white glitter. As he picked it up, his hand was dusted with the sparkly particles and it littered his clothes, it reminded Alec of the first time he had spoken to Magnus when he had shown up to his party without an invite, his eyes glaring at him but beautiful, lined with shimmering eyeshadow. He paid for the two and left in search of another store with decorations in stock.

 

The second store he went to was an older store, it had a vintage vibe to it and when he stepped in, there were very faded decorations hung on wire Christmas trees. There was an ornament that resembled a man and woman getting married and although he was gay, he decided to pick it up anyway, reminding him of the mistake he had almost made by agreeing to marry Lydia Branwell. If it wasn’t for his now-boyfriend coming in and saving him from a life of sadness, he would be living a lie and he was extremely grateful for what Magnus did for him. This was the only thing he bought from there. 

 

At the store next door, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ was playing extremely loudly. It had a festive storefront and it made Alec want to check out what the store had to offer. He walked in and saw it was a card shop but towards the back, he could see that the walls were lined with dozens upon dozens of Christmas ornaments. Alec picked one of the Eiffel Tower, it reminded him of when he and Magnus had gone to Paris for the first time together and dined on the Eiffel Tower. He then picked one up that had a symbol of the Japanese flag, reminding him of their first short trip to Japan where he bought his boyfriend an omamori charm. He selected one that had the image of two people holding hands and it made Alec thankful that Magnus was always there for them.

 

Towards the end of his trip, he had collected over 25 ornaments. This was his first real tree as the Institute didn’t outwardly celebrate Christmas and Alec want to this first true Christmas to be about family and Magnus was his family. He wanted it to be about memories and happiness. Alec sat on the subway home, remembering the past year and how extremely grateful he was that Magnus had helped them realize who he really was.  When he got home, he was greeted by the bare tree, undecorated and lonely in the corner of their living room. Magnus had not returned home yes so Alec worked by himself. He hung the ornaments from branch to branch and wrapped tinsel around the tree, following it with lights and finally topping it with a star. It was something he saw mundanes do in cheesy Christmas movies that Magnus had forced him to watch. 

 

He stepped back and looked at his work once he was done and smiled when he saw that it wasn’t completely bad, in fact, it was actually quite good, And when Magnus walked through the door, he understood the meaning behind every bauble and clasped Alec’s hands with his own, bringing him in for a soft kiss before he took a closer look. Alec had wanted a memorable Christmas so he decided to put past memories on the tree to remind them that they had an entire future together. It was their first Christmas in many Christmases to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! We are halfway done ficmas already?? I'm sad but also relieved. Thank you to everyone who has read these fics so far and to those who have just started, I hope you've been enjoying them!   
>  See you for day 13!  
> x Bella


	13. Just Another Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first Christmas after the war.

It was the first Christmas after the war with Sebastian had ended. The group had all safely returned from Edom, Simon’s memories taken by Asmodeus, but the good thing was that they were all still alive. New York grew chilly as a layer of frost blanketed the city, Alec and Magnus just waking up from a cold night’s sleep. Their relationship was still healing and they thought spending Christmas together would help them improve their relationship, and although they didn’t fully trust one another, they believed it was a good place to start. 

There were many orphaned downworlder and shadowhunter children that were left alone after the war had ended, their parents killed fighting against Sebastian and his demons. Magnus Bane knew what it felt like to have no family, to be a child without a parental figure to help support and love you, so he wanted to do something about it, to help those children, even if it wasn’t much. He got out of bed and took a shower as Alec slowly woke up and when he was done, Alec was awake and he took a shower as well. As Alec was in the bathroom, he got dressed into a dark red shirt and dress pants before he conjured up small toys from a small local toy store and left money in the cash registers, setting down to work on wrapping them. He was determined to give those children a good Christmas after the tragedy that they had gone through. 

When Alec emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, his dripping wet hair creating a tiny path of small puddles wherever he walked, he saw Magnus sitting on their living room floor through the doorway of their bedroom. He was surrounded by at least one hundred boxes of toys, a roll of shiny wrapping paper and giant silver bows. He was carefully wrapping the boxes, stacking them once they were done in a nice neat pile beside him. Alec quickly got dressed in comfortable clothes and joined his boyfriend, sitting next to him on the carpeted floor, picking up a board game and a pair of scissors. 

An hour later, they were joined by their friends Ragnor and Caterina who had arrived to help hand out the presents as well as help wrap them. By the time they were done, it was early evening. It was 5 pm and Magnus was almost done shrinking them to a tiny size, eliminating the weight and slipping the last few presents into a small bag on his shoulder. They wrapped up in warm jackets, gloves, and hats and made their way to the New York Institute to distribute the toys to the resident orphaned children waiting to be relocated. 

For the time being, downworlder children and the children of slain shadowhunters who were residents of New York were given asylum at the institute until the clave could place them under the care of others. When they reached the church disguise as the Institute, Alec gave them the permission to enter, first Magnus, then Caterina, Ragnor and then himself. They were greeted by Alec’s mother, Maryse who rose an eyebrow at his downworlder friends but said nothing and continued on her way to the elevator. They neared the wing of the building where the children temporarily resided and Magnus took his bag off of his shoulder, reaching in to pick up one of the small boxes. With a swift movement of his hand, the box became full sized again and they all smiled before setting off down the hallway.

They spent the evening handing out the presents to the children. The tore open the paper and their faces shined with smiles of happiness that broke through the barrier of pain they had built for a quick moment, letting the kids feel something other than despair. And that’s what made it worth it for Magnus. He wanted to make the holiday season just a little bit more bearable as he knew what it felt like to be a child without a family for Christmas and didn’t want others to have the same experience. Alec and his two best friends looked proudly at the High Warlock, a smile on their faces as they watched the unfortunate children be happy for a while, playing with their toys together in dim light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! thanks for joining me on day 13!   
> only a few more fics left until Christmas! I'll see you all tomorrow!   
> love, Bella x


	14. The Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Alec first real Christmas and Magnus decorates a tree with him.

It was 10 days until Christmas and Alec and Magnus were extremely behind on their Christmas preparations. They still didn’t have a tree and their loft was plain and undecorated, the only sign of it being winter was the snow piling up on the balcony. Alec wasn’t really one to celebrate Christmas as the Institute was often too busy around Christmas time and therefore didn’t bother to put the effort into something they wouldn’t pay attention to, but since Alec had moved into Magnus’ loft, he realized how festive of a person his boyfriend was. 

Magnus loved Christmas. It was his favourite time of the year where he could give something meaningful to someone important in his life, which didn’t fit into the warlock stereotype, but then again, Magnus wasn’t the typical warlock. Alec wouldn’t pay attention to the festivities normally, he’d simply buy his siblings a present or two and they’d open it before regularly continuing with their day but since he moved in with Magnus, he couldn’t escape the carols or the spirit of Christmas in the air, so he tried to welcome it. Magnus loved giving presents, he loved the snow, he enjoyed winter and the ability to see the joy on people’s faces with they opened something that he had spent time and effort getting on them. He especially enjoyed decorating his house for the festive season, decorating the Christmas tree and putting up wreaths and so that year he was determined to give Alec Lightwood his first real Christmas, so he decided the best thing to do was to start decorating a Christmas tree.

 

While Alec was out at work, busy in the Institute, Magnus arranged for a tree from northern Canada to be delivered to the loft. He paid extra for it to be set up in his living room so he didn’t have to do the manual labour himself as he had just gotten his nails done and didn’t want to chip them after paying a lot of money for them to be done for him. When the place was set up and the people had left, he conjured a selection of decorations from a nearby department store. There were several colour schemes. While he waite for Alec to come home, he decorated the rest of the house, hanging branches and mistletoe above paintings and doorframes. He changed the pillows to ones with festive designs while also switching out their white candles to red ones. He wrapped the tree skirt around the bottom of the tree and made himself a cup of coffee before sitting down with a book, reading until his boyfriend got home. 

 

When Alec did come home, it was almost 6 pm. He walked into the living room where Magnus had traded his book for a Christmas movie, he was curled on the couch, covered by a fluffy blanket with his head resting in his hands. Alec joined him and when the movie was over they began to decorate. Alec chose a silver and blue theme for the tree and hung icicle shaped ornaments from the branches of the tree. Magnus hung silver tinsel as Alec moved on to hanging baubles. They worked together, exchanging small smiles as they decorated and when they were almost done, Magnus left the room to retrieve a tree topper. When he returned, he was holding a small angel, modeled after his good friend, Tessa Gray’s clockwork pendant. Alec scoffed and hid his face as Magnus placed it upon the top of the tree, it shined and glistened and Magnus looked fondly towards his angel, Alec, and hoped he would have a good Christmas, their first out of many Christmases they would have together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 14!! only 10 days left!!!   
> Thank you all for joining me!   
> See you tomorrow!   
> Bella x


	15. author’s update!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which i, he author, give some sad news.

hello all, it’s bella here! 

as life always does, things have come up in my life that are going to make me have to take 2-3 days off in order to get my physical and mental health into a place where I feel okay! 

I’ll still write 25 fics it just will go past christmas! I Slipped on ice and got a concussion so i’m not to good! but i’ll be back to writing this at a later date! I hope you all understand and i’ll try my best to get one up tomorrow!! xo stay safe, stay warm and enjoy your december ❤️

 

love,

bella

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love u all!! thank u

**Author's Note:**

> hello all and welcome to ficmas !  
> I have ideas for fics that I'll post over the span of this month and I hope you enjoy them!  
> stick around for a new fic every day!  
> xo Bella


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